State OKs All-Boys Charter School

New Haven needs to take risks like this. It's good see Reverend Kimber putting his energy towards this project. The endorsements of Clemons and Dubois-Walton speaks volumes towards the school's promise. Kudos.

Conoway and Williams are solid. I hope they stay involved in the school. Best of luck on this being successful. Much needed.

PUSH…Push until something happens! Dr Kimber never let anything come to cancel this vision. He is a visionary and isn’t afraid to PUSH. I look forward to this charter school, that will aim to do what our public schools in New Haven are failing to do, especially with young black boys. Before any of these comment folks jump on me, let’s be clear, this school is open to everyone, just like Pride Academy that will open in Sept 2023, also in New Haven. The main difference is that one will be a charter school which will be accessible to all and one is private which may be financially unattainable to many.

I welcome both of these new schools to New Haven, as they will both benefit 2 very vulnerable populations.

I am far from a fan of the Reverend, but I will make a contribution to the future school. I give him credit for bringing his idea to fruition, and providing an alternative to the drop out factory that NHPS has become under the leadership of Dr. Tracey.

The Reverend has taken measurable action in an attempt to help New Haven students most at risk. It is quite refreshing when compared to the New Haven Board of Education that does nothing but remotely argue amongst themselves, and the Teachers union that does nothing but demand more money, while failing to take any responsibility for the dismal education provided to their students.

The more charter schools, the better. I would never have said that 10 years ago, that is how awful NHPS has become in such a short time.

I had the absolute pleasure of working with both Larry Conaway and Leroy Williams. Both are great guys, great educators, and great role models. Hope for much success.

This feels like a dream and maybe it is. Maybe it's Martin's dream?

Male NHPS students face real challenges. But, for the lawyers out there, how does the creation of this school not violate Article 1, Section 20 of the state constitution, which bars discrimination on the basis of sex? Any idea how the Board of Education will comply with 34 CFR 106.35(b) (federal requirements for districts creating single sex schools)?

Kevin: Hasn't your hometown had similar schools? I presume we would cite 34 CFR 103.6: "a recipient may take affirmative action to overcome the effects of conditions which resulted in limited participation therein by persons of a particular sex." In New Haven, and schools generally, boys have been disadvantaged, so affirmative action is needed. So long as this school does not have a specialized curriculum, a mirror girls' school would not be needed. Hartford had single-sex schools once, but they seem to have ended.

It was noted at the meeting that New Haven schools Superintendent Iline Tracey submitted a letter opposing approval of the certificate, arguing that the growth of charters is unfairly costing her district dollars and students.

She is not to far off.There is Data that backs up what she is talking about.Imagine a school district with 10 schools each with 100 students. A new charter school opens in the district and attracts100 students itself,10 students from each existing school.Each district school now has less money, since the schools receive money for each child enrolled, and each is serving just 90. Again look up the Data.

NHPS family
Mar 2, 2023 4:50 pm

The more charter schools, the better. I would never have said that 10 years ago, that is how awful NHPS has become in such a short time.

Any one who knows me.Know two things I do not like Gentrification and Charter Schools. I wrote this back in 2014

THREEFIFTHS
Dec 3, 2014 8:20 pm
Charter school advocates are among the biggest scam artists in politics.Charters are the ideal deal, where the public takes all the risk and the corporations can't lose. Anyone who believes that the Lords of Capital would finance anything that puts real power in the hands of poor parents, is in serious need of remedial education. Glenn Ford

Charter School are cash cow and the are the inventions of right wing corporations, There is zero oversight for taxpayer money doled out like candy. Charter schools will turn out to be the biggest and most expensive fraud ever perpetrated on the taxpayers.But there is a noble goal in mind, To undermine and destroy the teacher's union and to line the pockets of people like this.These are the puppet masters who are behind the Charter School take over.

The Faces of School Reform

https://indypendent.org/2010/01/29/faces-school-reform

Part One

Charters bleed much needed resources from the public system, are far less accountable to the public and thus more likely to be corrupted. They also can leave the most challenged students to the public system to pump their numbers. Why can’t this be a public school?

In the early 20th century, two of the most prominent black leaders, Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X, both advocated for the establishment of all-black male schools. Their vision was to provide a space where young black men could receive an education that empowered them to be proud of their heritage and identity.

Garvey believed that education was essential to the upliftment of the black race. He argued that the education system was designed to produce individuals who were subservient to the dominant culture. In contrast, he proposed an education system that instilled in young black men a sense of pride and self-confidence. Garvey envisioned all-black male schools as institutions where young black men could develop their own curriculum and be taught by black teachers who understood their unique experiences.

Malcolm X echoed Garvey's views on education, stating that he saw it as the key to the liberation of the black race. He believed that all-black male schools would provide a safe and nurturing environment for young black men to develop their skills and talents. Malcolm X argued that black boys were often neglected in the education system and needed a place where they could receive the attention and support they deserved.
Short version

A case for both public and charter schools can be made. Much research has studied and documented the successes and failures of charter schools. The same can be said of public schools. The relative playing fields of public and charter schools can appear uneven and "unfair." Public schools have to take every kid; charters do not. Charter schools are smaller and more flexible, but public schools generally are not. Public schools are unionized, while charters are most likely not. But shouldn't parents and their children have choices, and what's wrong with public schools having some competition? Do we really think that our traditional public schools are acceptable now, or even have been over the past twenty-some/thirty-some years? Hasn't the history of many of our traditional urban public schools shown that they are unable to meet their primary charge of developing students who are actually proficient in reading, writing, and math so that these students could be productive contributors to society? Historically, can NHPS claim any of that? I say give parents and students some real choices because NHPS hasn't lived up to its responsibility. As many of the commentators are so keen to suggest (myself included), look up the data.

Most definitely, racism harms Black men and boys. But to suggest that "[t]he males need the most help" ignores the double-edged oppression of racism and sexism that Black women and girls face. From the connection between the sexual abuse/assault and incarceration (source: https://www.nbwji.org/post/black-women-sexual-assault-criminalization) to the adultification of Black girls (source: https://genderjusticeandopportunity.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/girlhood-interrupted.pdf), it is clear that Black females have it at least as bad as Black males. Single-sex schools should not have a place in the public school system because, ultimately, women and girls suffer under sex segregation. Charter schools should be eliminated because they weaken the public school system. Both are misguided attempts to use discriminatory tools to address oppression.

Separate is NOT equal.
And the things that they are talking about implementing at this school would benefit all students, regardless of gender, gender identity, race, religion or ethnicity.
What we should be doing is recruiting more minority teachers and male teachers to all of our schools. We should be adding more social emotional learning measures, and implementing more stress relieving and excess energy releasing breaks with cooperative and team building educational games.
We should allow for more flexible teaching and learning styles, and have smaller student to teacher ratios, with paraprofessionals and literacy and math specialists to assist in classrooms with students who need extra help for academic or behavioral needs.
Charter schools reduce the dollars that the public schools need to be able to implement these same types of programs, in a public school setting.
And they tend to kick out the students that don’t meet their standards, in order to “prove” that the school has a high success rate, when the truth is they have a high selectivity rate that gets rid of the students in most need of extra help.

I have to agree with 3/5. If there are to be charters, they must be public. For example, Achievement First has been proven to "eliminate" all students who give them trouble. Where do they go? To NHPS of course. I have no problem with public charters that are held accountable for spending New Haven money. This school was not chosen to be a NHPS so it was "back channeled" to be a state charter. Kimber was smart to use the names of two of the most respected clergy to name the school - Dr. Edmonds and Dr. Cofield. And then with Karen Dubois Walton added to the list of prominent flag wavers, you get your state charter. 3/5 is correct. "Charter Schools are cash cows and the invention of right wing corporations."

I see they left out my part two.But in part two,I said.This is a good Vision and there is no question about it,It is need it.But because the school is open to students of all races.Then it can not be a school just for Black Males.

QUESTIONS: GENERAL & SPECIFIC
1) Why are there no charter schools in suburban communities?
2) How many millions in state funding do charter schools take from public schools?
3) Is this proposed boys school a school for all boys, Black boys, or Black and Brown boys? Comments from supporters on the makeup of the school in this article are conflicting & contradictory.
4) Will the faculty of this school be all male, or all Black and Brown male, with the exclusion of women?
5) Why would it cost $50,000, the annual salary of one veteran teacher, for a consultant to prepare an application for a Connecticut charter school?
6) If the premise of his school is that Black and Brown males are not getting the "proper" education they need in the public schools, how will a single charter school with very few students, with the exclusion of the vast majority of boys in this community address and resolve these very real and pressing issues?

@Elvin Tapper
Based on opinions of many, the NHPS are a total failure. Students are leading nothing. The schools are in chaos. Teachers are doing their jobs. And the BOE is clueless, ineffective, and negligent.
These are opinions.
Every urban public school district in America has challenges. Many supporters of charters view them as a solution to many of those challenges, but in some regards charters exacerbate those problems.
Charters tend to take some of the best, brightest, more motivated students who have parents who are more actively involved with their children's education. Kids in charter schools who are disciplinary problems, or who have learning disabilties or other issues are frequently set back to public schools. Charters can choose the students they want to keep. Public Schools don't have that option.
Charter school test scores often are higher than public schools because of that reason.
Long before there were charter schools, NHPS taught students, most of whom graduated and went on to colleges across the country, or went on to some productive employment after high school.
Some did not, but the opportunity was available to all.
Charters not only take some of our better students, they also take money which could be used by public schools to provide better, necessary human and material resources for public school students.
Dr. Tracey is right in her assessment about charter competition for state funds. She has been a decades-long advocate for public education in this city. Her wisdom and experience may be causally dismissed or discarded by a few charter advocates because her term of service as superintendent will soon end, but this community knows of her years of commitment to the NHPS, and they value her opinion and judgment.
In regard to charters, some things that look like gold are actually pyrite!
Talk to some parents who have withdrawn their kids from some of the charters like Achievement First schools.

Clearly, the majority of these comments are indeed interesting. So long as young Black men are killing one another, we hear nothing from these critics. Now that a proposal has been introduced; and accepted to educate this same element, for the purposes of infiltrating this scourge in its infancy, from a preventative measure, the 'couch doubters' are inraged.

In my view, it was indeed a prudent, and brilliant move on Mr. Kimber's part to involve both Mr. Larry Conaway and Mr. Leroy Williams to assist in structuring such an ambitious quest. These two brothers are treasures in any city in the country. Two of the most respected Black men that I know. That said, I too hold Mr. Kimber in such high esteem.

Let me expound a little on this cost hypocrisy that some seem to be lamenting. The cost to incarcerate one of these young men for a month in prison far exceeds the amount of money, the taxpayers would be paying for educating one of these youth for a year in this school. HELLO!! Where are the critics, both white and Black on that fact?

Finally, Mr. Kimber, Mr. Conaway; and Mr. Williams, on behalf of the Black community everywhere, I congratulate you guys viscerally for persevering on behalf of the future of the inner-city youth of New Haven. You should be lauded, not ridiculed. In fact, given the embarrassing outcomes emanating from NHPS, more people should vie to emulate the same concept, instead of being haters! Moreover, Mr. Kimber, I strongly suggest you write your name into the budget as a lobbyist or at least a facilitator on behalf of the school.

1644, thanks. Federal law clearly does allow single-sex schools - it was a provision on No Child Left Behind. But the state constitution bars sex discrimination. I don’t know (genuinely) how that squares with offering an educational opportunity to boys but not girls.

Will it be limited to boys or include those who identify as boys? So after all the battles, the marches, the studies, the overblown Ph'd's in Education and money spent and wasted the goal is really now heading for "Equal" and Separate.

I'm sure the people involved in the proposal for this school mean well, but this does not seem like the way to reach their stated goals. Given charter schools' history of selection bias, I'm highly skeptical that this new school will reach it's targeted population. Rather, it will become a public funded option where more engaged parents will be able to separate their children from the rest of the public school population. Also, setting aside the legality of a publicly funded single sex school, are we saying that young males must be separated from other genders in order to have a quality learning environment? After reviewing the studies cited in their application, I'd agree with Mr. Exley's assessment that there is no evidence to prove that this model will be effective. I'd hope that Rev. Kimber and his team have done extensive research to find what actually works to promote healthy and safe learning environments and prepares young men of color for the real world (The one where women and non-binary people exist).

Click in the link in the article to read the application. It clearly states that boys and girls of all races are welcome to enroll.

@Brian L. Jenkins
Mr. Jenkins must have missed the stated focus of this charter school. Allegedly it is an ALL BOYS SCHOOL, not a Black boys school, or a Black and Brown boys school. That then means the Edmonds-Cofield school will be a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, mult-cultural school.
There is some confusion in the community about the racial makeup of the school, but the article appears to state that the proposal the Rev. Mr. Kimber & company presented before the State BOE was to create a charter school to address the needs of ALL boys.
Mr. Jenkins' final recommendation in his post about this charter school raises many community questions and concerns, and possibly a potential conflict of interest. He stated: "Moreover, Mr. Kimber, I strongly suggest you write your name into the budget as a lobbyist or at least a facilitator on behalf of the school."

Mr. Conoway and Mr. Williams are two of the best in the business. Their involvement will be a real asset. One only needs to have worked with youth to understand the rationale for this school.

It says it will serve a diverse population, which would mean it's not limited to one race. However, as to sex, the application says: "Edmund Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men (EC Prep) is a ... all boys school, pursuant to C.G.S.10-66bb(c)(iv) “students of a single gender”, that serves 375 young men in grades 5-8 by the end of our first charter term, with the intent to propose expansion to high school upon renewal."

NHPS lack Teachers of Color and Administrators! Someone commented that it is a dominant female population of educators! So true! White females are in charge of NHPS at all levels! Many are left over from the good old girl system of nepotism, favoritism, and politics. The have positions that have been continually passed down to this day and contributed significantly to the miseducation of brown and black children! Especially, males, who have zero Black role models teaching, supervising, or are in leadership positions to direct our young men! Especially in the middle and high schools! I wish all of them would take that energy to NHPS. Walk in any NHPS and count the number of Black and Brown male Educators or even female Black or Brown Teachers. NHPS is dominated by non Brown and Black Educators in every building … especially middle and high schools! At least the issue is being addressed by Black Men!

Westville Man--- If I didn't know anything about Williams and Conaway, I would not have made the comment, as most listeners like to do. Kimber's crimes have been published .
And is this school not segregationist and therefore illegal??? They removed "of color" but that's what the photo is and it is what they will do. And all boys??? In a public school, even hiding behind the charter label??? Where is the outcry???

Call me naive but it doesn't take much to see that if I am unemployable in my home city, then I either have to leave town to make my money, OR -- create something locally that will pay me! A school looks like a great option.

@ T. A. Paine,
"Mr. Jenkins must have missed the stated focus of this charter school. Allegedly it is an ALL BOYS SCHOOL, not a Black boys school, or a Black and Brown boys school."
I can attest, that Mr. Jenkins missed absolutely nothing! I referenced innercity youth. The last time I checked, that comprised ALL youth. That said, not surprising, I noticed you made NO mention of the criminal preventative aspect I referenced. To attempt to play "GOTCHA" with me takes far more research than what you have demonstrated thus far.

"Mr. Jenkins' final recommendation in his post about this charter school raises many community questions and concerns, and possibly a potential conflict of interest." He stated: "Moreover, Mr. Kimber, I strongly suggest you write your name into the budget as a lobbyist or at least a facilitator on behalf of the school."
Again, you totally fail to get it! There's a governing body that creates a budget, that will determine whether or not Mr. Kimber or any staff member will be hired. I expressed my desire. A desire mind you, that you and your ilk pray will never happen.

I actually don't mind the idea of this opportunity to learn. Parents should have options to do what is best for their children. I do have some questions: